Star Wars has a lot of memorable ships, but the one that became a fan favorite and a legend of its own is the Millennium Falcon, which almost had a completely different design that might have not made it an unforgettable starship. The Star Wars universe began its run in 1977 with the film now known as Star Wars: A New Hope, the first adventure in what would become one of the biggest, most beloved, and most profitable media franchises of all time. Since then, the Star Wars universe has expanded to other media, most notably novels, video games, and theme park attractions.
Star Wars has become a big part of pop culture, and its fan base grew thanks to the prequel trilogy (released between 1999 and 2005) and the sequels, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker closing the Skywalker saga. Over the course of nine films, Star Wars introduced viewers around the world to various characters, both human and alien, as well as numerous starships, of which the most famous one is the Millennium Falcon.
Han Solo’s legendary ship appeared in all films from the original trilogy as well as in the sequels, but it didn’t always look as it does now, and its early design wasn’t that memorable.
Star Wars: Why George Lucas Changed The Millennium Falcon’s Design
The Millennium Falcon is a YT-1300 light freighter of the YT-1300f variety which belonged to Lando Calrissian, but ended up in Han Solo’s hands after winning a “Corellian Spike” game of sabacc. The ship’s basic shape is defined by two convex saucers welded together, helping the Millennium Falcon stand out for its design. Though its look is very unique, the Millennium Falcon as the world now knows it originally had a very different design – luckily, George Lucas asked for it to be changed.
The original Millennium Falcon had a long and cylindrical shape, the complete opposite to the flat and round ship the world now knows. The problem with it was that it looked a lot like the Eagle Transporter from the TV series Space: 1999, so Lucas requested a change, telling the designers to think of a “flying hamburger” that could “sail like a sunfish”. Modelmaker Joe Johnston only had four weeks to completely redesign the Falcon, and because he didn’t want to make a “basic flying saucer”, he created the offset cockpit, forward cargo mandibles, and rear slot for the engines – though the design is said to be roughly based on a burger with an olive-on-the-side cockpit. The original design was used to create Leia’s ship, the Tantive IV, briefly seen in A New Hope and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Millennium Falcon’s redesign is what made it the legendary ship that it is now, and it’s good to see all the work of the designers wasn’t in vain and made way for another ship.